Role Play, A Fun Game In Quarantine
While we still don’t know how long this situation of confinement caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) will last, we need to continue looking for productive activities and games to do at home.
Among them, changing roles as a family can be very unique, not only for the fun of it, but also because it can help you get to know and develop empathy for the responsibilities of other family members and for the daily tasks each one performs.
Roles and functions in the family
A role refers to the role a person plays in a place or situation. Thus, when we talk about the family environment, we are referring to the role, that is, the function that each family member plays. And it is these roles and functions that define each particular family structure.
Historically, the normalized family structure is that of a nuclear family based on well-established marital and parental roles, mostly associated with gender.
However, the evolution of society and families is giving way to a redefinition of more traditional family roles and the possibility of forming other family structures, without this representing a loss (social or psychological) for the family as a whole, or for any member of it.
In this way, each family is a world, as they say, and it is important that each family nucleus adapts according to its own needs, regardless of social or cultural factors that define and designate associated roles, functions and responsibilities, for the most part , to the genre.
In this way, each family can find its own balance, stability and emotional well-being for all its members.
Why switch roles in the family?
Switching roles and putting yourself in another family member’s shoes can be a very fun game. But, in turn, it can also be a very interesting educational strategy, as it is a way to get to know the roles, obligations and responsibilities that each family member performs on a daily basis.
At the same time, it is also a way of recognizing that, in general, in many families, these roles are highly gender-defined.
Therefore, we can take advantage of the quarantine time to play at changing roles in the family or, more specifically, changing the distribution of domestic roles . In this way, all family members can try to perform tasks that correspond to another member.
Thus, according to the members of the family and their corresponding ages, it is possible to carry out one or another exchange. The idea is that everyone can put themselves in everyone else’s shoes, in order to see the greater or lesser load, difficulty and time involved in the daily performance of each household task.
Changing roles in the family, some examples…
If there are teenagers in the family, it’s a good idea to switch roles with the parents. Thus, one day they can take over the tasks that one parent performs on a daily basis, and the next day, they can be responsible for the tasks that fall to the other parent.
Obviously, children cannot take on the tasks related to their parents’ work, but, as we have said, they can perform tasks related to the domestic environment, such as making beds, organizing the house, putting clothes in the washing machine, preparing meals ( breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner) and washing the dishes.
Also, if they have younger siblings, they can also help with their homework. Or, if the family has a dog at home, teens can take it for a walk, if possible, of course, in accordance with local quarantine rules in your area.
Another way to switch roles in the family and turn it into a fun game during the quarantine is for the parents themselves to switch roles with each other. Thus, each of them can perform the tasks that their partner performs on a daily basis. Whether it’s cooking, helping kids with schoolwork, cleaning the bathroom, watering plants or shopping at the market.
Finally, the brothers can also switch roles in the family together. That is, each of them can be responsible for the obligations and tasks of the brother or sister, from tidying or clearing the table, organizing and storing clothes or simply helping with their various functions.
